Rare Cockatiel Mutations

So far we have looked at the silver grey cockatiel and the white nape cockatiel, which are both rare cockatiel mutations.

Another one of those rare cockatiel mutations which is not talked about a lot is the thrush-chested cockatiel.

A “thrush chest” cockatiel is a rare genetic feather mutation where reduced melanin creates a speckled or spotted pattern on the bird’s chest and belly, resembling the spotted breast  of a thrush songbird.

This is another mutation with only a very slight significance.  In rare cases some of these cockatiels also have spotted heads.

As the opaline mutation does not pearl the feathers of this are, a more attractive bird is produced by combining these two mutations.

Similar to pearl mutations, hens typically keep the chest markings for life, while mature males may lose them or show “ghost pearls” after their adult molt.

Here is another interesting article about Thrush-Chested Cockatiel.

You can also see some incredible pictures at the link above of this rare cockatiel mutation.